Barbara Bedell: Monroe-Woodbury ice hockey team celebrates its season

Monroe-Woodbury High School's varsity ice hockey players and their families celebrated a good season at a dinner at the Falkirk Estates in Central Valley recently.

Barbara Bedell

Monroe-Woodbury High School's varsity ice hockey players and their families celebrated a good season at a dinner at the Falkirk Estates in Central Valley recently.

The main speaker was Town of Woodbury Police Officer Joseph Panzica, who spoke of his experiences as a member of the school's hockey team during the 1980s and the positive impact it had on his life.

During the evening, awards were presented by coach Paul Bacsardi Jr. and assistant coach Paul Bacsardi. Senior achievement honors went to players Danny Vobroucek of Highland Mills, Zach Earle, Brian Mulligan, Mark Tooma, Greg Helbeck and John Dunn, all of Monroe. The Most Valuable Player Award was given to Mulligan, and the Most Improved Player Award went to Helbeck.

The team's annual yearbook was unveiled as a 16-month photo calendar with player tributes and community advertising. It was dedicated to Joe Bernardo of Highland Mills, team manager.

The Alexander String Quartet will be in concert at 4 p.m. today at the Howland Cultural Center on Main Street in Beacon. A reception with the artists will follow. Tickets are $30, $10 for sutdents. For information, call 297-9243. The Hudson Valley Science Cafe is resuming meetings after a winter recess. Dr. Catherine Klein, assistant professor at the Nelson Institute of Environmental Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Diana's, 1015 Little Britain Road in New Windsor. For information, contact Tony Rossman at tobyrossman@yahoo.com.

Carolann Adipietro, 11, a sixth-grader at Monroe-Woodbury Middle School, captured the crown in the Miss Pre-Teen NY title recently in Brooklyn.

For the daughter of Deedra and Frank Adipietro of Monroe, it was her first pageant and an exciting time. "I feel like Cinderella," she responded when questioned onstage.

As the winner, she will compete for the national title representing the state of New York during the contest from Dec. 11-15 in Florida. Her mother, Deedra, owner of Testa Bella Salon in Tuxedo, is her daughter's business sponsor. She said the trip to Florida will be all-expenses-paid by the pageant.

For the preliminaries, however, there were fees. Carolann and her sister, Antonia, 10, were each charged $620 as entrants, fees their mother paid as the sponsor. In addition, there were expenses in getting just the right gowns. Costs for hair and makeup were absorbed by their mother, who enjoyed fussing over her daughters.

For the family, including twin boys, Frank and Joseph, 9, it was a family experience (hotel and meals out) that they enjoyed. A highlight was getting to the pageant hall early enough to get front-row seats!

Barbara Bedell's column appears daily. Reach her at 346-3125 or by email: bbedell@th-record.com